1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging (hereinafter, “MRI”) device, a gradient coil device used in the MRI device, and a method of designing a coil pattern of a coil used in the gradient coil device.
2. Description of the Related Art
MRI devices obtains a cross-sectional image of an object under test indicating physical and chemical characteristics thereof by utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance phenomena which occurs when the object under test arranged in a uniform static magnetic field is irradiated with high-frequency pulses, and such devices are used for, in particular, medical purposes. MRI devices generally include static-magnetic-field coil devices which generate a uniform static magnetic field in an imaging region where the object under test is put in, gradient coil devices which generate a pulsed gradient magnetic field having magnetic field intensity spatially inclined in order to add positional information to the imaging region, RF coils emitting high-frequency pulses to the object under test, a reception coil which receives a magnetic resonance signal from the object under test, and a computer system which processes the received magnetic resonance signal to display the cross-sectional image.
JP2001-353137A discloses a gradient coil device which generates a gradient magnetic field having magnetic field intensity linearly inclined in order to improve the performances of the MRI devices (see FIG. 1).